Amazing Facts of Butterflies and Moths..... ( ENGLISH )

   Amazing Facts of Butterflies and Moths.....

Butterflies and moths to the order lepidoptera which means ''scalewings.''Butter flies and moths fly with two pairs of wings covered with tiny.overlapping,powdery scales that often rub off'.

Almost all butterflies and moths have a long, tubular mouthpart called aproboscis, which they use to feedon plant nactar. they spend their larval stage as caterpillars, voraciously consuming plant matter, then undergo metamorphosis into the adult forms.

There are several ways to tell abutterfly from a moth. on the whole, butterflies arebrightly colored whereas moths are more drab. butterflies flutter about in the day, but moths tend to be nocturnal. butterflies have knobs on the ends of their threadlike antennae; moth antennae are wider and often feathery. at rest, butterflies keep their wings closed, while moths usually hold theirs out flat. also, moth bodies are usually plumper than those of the butterfly. in the pupal stage, a butterfly makes a smooth, shiny chrysalis, while a moth makes a woolly cocoon.

The feeding habits of moths canprove destructive to the natural and human-constructed world The larvae of the European pine shoot moth have devastated large swaths of pine forests there by eating the tree's tender shoots. carpet moth larvae munch on fabric made from plants and animals, such as cotton and wool, making holes in clothing and carpets.                                                                            
Studies of moth mating behavior have shown the role of pheromones, chemical attractants involved in enticing the opposite sex across a large number of animal species.Even the male silk moth, a domesticated species used in silk production that has only stumpy, fightless wings, Demonstrates the allure of these potent Chemicals.

In one famous experiment, a male is alerted of a female's presence by the airflow of an ordinary household fan. As soon as the scent reaches the male's antennae, he beats his stubby wings and runs-since flying is not an option-toward the female to mate with her. A Pheromone-laced piece of paper can produce the same effect.

• The Yucca Connection

Of the many Plant-animal connections in the natural world, that of the yucca plant and the yucca moth is one of the most speciallized. these species have evolved a relationship in which one depends on the other for survival; oniy the yucca moth can pollinate the plant, whose seeds provide the moth's only food source.

In this symbiosis, the moth lays its eggs at the base of the yucca flowers. When the caterpillars hatch, they feed on some of the seeds. Those remaining seeds grow into the next generation of yucca plants. Meanwhile, the caterpillars drop off the plant and pupate in the cocoon stage in soil, transforming into the next generation of yucca moth. The moths that emerge begin the process all over again.

• From Caterpillar to Butterfly

Moths and butterflies undergo a maturational transformation so remarkable it has become the stuff of myth and poetry around the world.

A Butterfly begins as an egg, Soon the Larva - a caterpillar - bites through the egg and exists. It consumes its former shell and goes on to feed on leaves and shed its skin several times.Then it attaches itself to a twig or other object and enters the pupal stage when it forms a chrysalis. Inside, the caterpillar's body re-forms as a butterfly. When the transformation is complete, the adult butterfly crawls out of the chrysalis and flexes its wings to pump blood into them. With wings firm and dry, it flies away.